Saying hello to the world since 2015

Month: July 2015

One of my favourite things to do (and see) in London is its street art. London has amazing street artists and a great artistic vibe. If you’re looking for a great experience and you want to go off the beaten track, make sure to include street art in your London schedule.

We took two great street art tours in London:

London Alternative Tour: We took the walking tour (in English) and had a great guide. The tour lasted about two hours and took us to all the highlights.

London Street Art Tour: We also opted for the English walking tour. This tour ended after about four hours (including a lunch break). The pace was a bit slower, we saw all the same highlights as in the London Alternative Tour and some other streets we hadn’t visited yet.

Both tours are a great option, depending on how much time you have to spare.

Not into tours? All tours booked up? Want to explore on your own?

Although we had so much fun during our tours, we saw the most amazing things when we went to explore to city on our own. Are you planning a visit to London? Visit Shoreditch / Hackney Wick to make the most of your visit. Make sure these streets are on your list:

Brick Lane

Redchurch Street

Hackney Road

Fashion Street

Rivington Street

Want to get to know some of the most famous street artists you can spot in London? Here are some of my favs:

If you want to spot a Banksy, you can track his work on Google Maps. It tells you in which condition his street art is. Some of his work is preserved behind plexi glass, such as two pieces in a beer garden in Rivington Street. Always a save shot.

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While all of my family and friends are spending their summer holiday abroad, I’m sitting in my sofa dreaming about my own vacation this fall. I’ll be visiting Japan, a dream I’ve had for over ten years.

Many of my friends are surprised at my curiosity for Japan. Nothing to be surprised about, let me show you why I want to go to Japan so desperately.

Studio Ghibli Museum: I’ve been a huge Ghibli fan since my childhood so I really really REALLY want to go to the museum. Even though some fans told me it wasn’t _that_ great, it’s still number one on my to-do-list. I want to see shorts I’ve never seen before, I want to be in a fairytale I don’t comprehend one word of and I assume I’ll want to buy everything in the gift shop. My sincere apologies to the customers after me.

Kyoto: Look at all the World Heritage in Kyoto. Look at the tiny streets and great restaurants. Look at the culture, the geisha and the kabuki. And look at the…

... Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. One of the most photographed sights of Kyoto (and possibly Japan). I’m going to take an endless number of photos there and I won’t feel a tiny bit of shame.

Onsen: Alright, I must admit I’m a bit scared for this one, but it’s a healthy anticipation kind of fear. Onsen are natural hot springs spread across Japan. We’ll be visiting at least one (in the countryside). I hope I don’t make a fool of myself since I’m usually not a ‘spa kind of person’. Fingers crossed!

Mount Koya(Koyasan): A place out of dreams (or Ghibli movies). A sacred place. I hope to find a natural peace here, even though I’ll have to share my moment with other tourists.

Nikko: Again a sacred place in Japan, with one of the most decorated shrines.

Mount Fuji: Unfortunately we won’t have enough time to climb this mountain, but we will be travelling to one of the nearby villages to gaze and wonder.

Tokyo: Also a bit nervous for this one, since I’m used to living in a tiny city. I’ll probably never forget Shibuya Crossing (one of the busiest crossings on earth). I suspect other highlights will be Tsukiji Fish Market and the manga/anime overload.

Ryokan: We’ll be staying at some ryokan, a traditional Japanese guesthouse. One of them has its own onsen. Yikes! Unfortunately we were too late booking some of our preferred design or capsule hotels (even though we booked a year in advance!) but we still got the ryokan we wanted.

Sushi: I’ll be honest. I’m going to bore everyone I know with sushi pictures and quotes. “Yes, this sushi place is great but it’s nothing like the one I visited in Kyoto/Tokyo/…”. Yes, I will be annoying once I’m back and my friends and family will have to endure. Sorry not sorry.

Now everyone’s sharing their holiday pictures and stories, I can’t wait to go. I’ll have to be patient for a few more months and then this dream can finally come true.

Still looking for some travelling tips so if you have anything you’d like to add, please feel free!